Monday, January 18, 2010

I'm not sure how to really start this or end it, and this post has gone through revision after revision.

I talked to my officers over the weekend and let them know that I'd be taking a break from raiding, which is likely going to be a permanent one.

The main reason has nothing to do with my guild or drama or anything like that; Casually Serious has been about the best guild that I could imagine for what I've wanted out of Warcraft, and they're an incredible group of people. They have shown that smart raiding beats long raiding times, and that if you're skilled and do your homework you can have good success on progression with only a small amount of time.

No, it's personal life issues. Simply put, being a father of a newborn doesn't coincide well with raiding on a set schedule. Thinking on it it seems almost ludicrous to believe otherwise, but this was exacerbated more recently by other life events to a point that became...bad. And I told myself a long time ago that when WoW started interfering negatively with my normal life, it was time to stop.

It might be better in the future. I may be able to get back to raiding or playing. But honestly, a lot of the joy I had in playing I got from playing with my wife, and until that changes (which is not going to be very likely) I don't see me coming back as a raider.

Looking back, it's been a lot of fun and I'm very proud of what I've been able to accomplish with two great guilds. Being able to kill Kael, Illidan and Brutallus pre-nerf (and KJ after that), Maly, Sarth and all of Ulduar with Fire & Blood, and doing all the Ulduar hard modes (including Yogg0), all of ToGC on 25s - not a lot of people get to experience those things. I feel like I was a good contributor on those fights and did my part to down them. That's a great feeling and one of the most addictive parts of raiding for me - that you contributed to something greater than you.

Oddly enough, one of the hardest things for me to face is that this blog is going to stop. I also told myself that if I wasn't experiencing the content I didn't want to write about it; theorycrafting is good, but it only goes so far in place of real experience. I really did enjoy writing this, and again it was very rewarding to hear how many people got real, quantifiable help from my writing. One of the reasons I switched guilds (instead of outright quitting) was so I could continue writing about WoW. That's how important it was to me.

Thank you all for reading for the last two years. I've had some of the best readers I've ever seen on a blog, and it wouldn't have been so much fun without you.

Congrats on the decision! I've enjoyed all the new free time I've had since quitting playing Warcraft. It's amazing how much of a life commitment a regular raiding schedule is. Sorry to see ya go, though, I enjoyed keeping up with the game via your blog. --Flyv

Kalon, I'm sad to see you go, but I endorse your decision. Your blog has been my absolute favorite for the year or so I've been (eagerly) reading it. You've helped me and other ferals I know, and I'm grateful for the time and effort you put into your blog. Good luck on parenting; the ultimate hard mode.

Kalon, While I'm personally bummed, I want to say thanks for all your hard work and info. I am anticipating my firstborn this summer so I'm sure I'm about to experience many of the same issues as you, so best of luck to you and your family.

First time commenter but long time reader, just wanted to say thanks! You blog is (or was? not sure what tense to use now) the best place for feral info out there, and your style always made it easy to read.

So, thank you for all the blogging, all the insight, and all the fun. Best of luck IRL.

Go and get yourself some quality time with your child. Both of you deserve it.Thank you very much for keeping up this informative, yet still quite individual and interesting blog for so long.I bow before you as one of your fellow Bear brethren.

This was absolutely the best feral blog that I've ever seen for both dps and tanking druids. Your contributions will be missed and to be honest, I feel a little bit lost as to where to go for the latest feral DPS information.

Kalon, I wanted to thank you for all your work! I too will have a tough time finding the information that was so accessible and conveniently located in your blog. Ultimately, it's your family that matters though, and not a video game... God bless!

You have given a lot of us a huge amount so thank you, truly. Your blog has been excellently written, informative and thoroughly enjoyable and it's been number one in my google reader for some time now. I too have struggled to balance raiding with the wonderful roller-coaster of parenthood, so much respect to your decision. I wish you and your family well in all that you do going forward.

Thanks for your fantastic blog, and thanks for making a positive decision about your life and your family. Your insightful and attention to detail will stand you in good stead throughout your life. /salute

You will be missed Kalon. Your posts have been an invaluable help. This blog was my primary source for reliable and well thought out information on feral theorycrafting. I have yet to see anything that resembles your depth and insight.

I am genuinely depressed atm :( Sorry to see you go man. You have been my first point of call for all things druid. Your blog has been absolutely brilliant. Owe you alot, so thank you very much Kalon. Good luck with whatever you do next.

I can definitely understand your situation.. I've just taken a break from raiding and having a 4week old lil boy doesn't show any signs of allowing me back into full time raiding..I'd like to thank you for your blog, insight into ferals, gear lists, itemisation discusions and everything inbetween.. the druid community will miss you..You're also one of the reasons I decided to create my own blog to give my 2cents on playing as a feral..

Kal, I know exactly where you're coming from. My 17-month-old has disrupted quite a few raids; luckily, my guild's pretty understanding of that sort of thing. By all means, take some time, refresh yourself...and hopefully we'll see you back for Cata. Looks like it's up to Vallen, Jacemora, Coldbear, Darksend, and me to carry the feral torch for a bit. :)

You'll be sorely missed.However, I think you've made a wise decision - missing anything to do with your baby would be worse than missing out on a raid.Enjoy your newborn :)All the best,Csara of Suramar

Sad to see you leaving the scene. There will be a great big, fur lined hole in the feral community for sure, though I would like to try to plant the idea that dropping raiding does not have to mean you absolutely have to drop this lovely blog. The raid can't wait, but the next blog post can.

I do feel that I understand your situation as I recently became a father myself which needless to say means less frequent raiding for both me and my wife. But there are in fact guilds for people like us too, who can maby raid 1-2 times/week on a somewhat irregular schedule. Could be worth a try.

Just wanted to drop you a note to say a big thank you for all the excellent material you've posted on this blog, and also for the (often) heroic efforts you have gone to on the official forums, to explain rationality to some of the inmates of that particular mental asylum.

I also stopped playing wow 5 months ago due to life changes. Yes, I miss my bear SO MUCH!!! and I miss some of my good raiding friends... but it was a whole lifestyle, and when real life changed, my online life had to change too. Looking back with 5 months of space, I can tell you the world continued to turn, and I have taken up new pursuits: most noteably I have quit smoking, and gotten quite fit again. There's no way in the world I'd blame wow for my bad habits, but lets face it, ladies and gents, wow is really f****** addictive.

Anyway, I've kept an eye on your blog for old times sake, and have enjoyed your articles since I quit nonetheless. Good luck to you in any future gaming pursuits, and of course, with your family committments. There's a whole world of non-mmo gaming out there, some of which I have enjoyed tremendously since I quit wow.

Wow is quite a phenomenon, and I'm glad to have been a part of it, But I have nothing to show for my years of dedication, which makes me feel rather foolish, all in all.

I'm very sad to see you go, but it's good that you can step away from the game. I only recently stumbled across your blog, but I have loved the amount of digestible information that you have provided us.

It does suck that we have lost Toskk and Alamo, and it sucks to lose you too.

Thank you for having this great feral blog for me to read. It guides me all the way from zero to being an offtank in icc 25. :) It still saddens me tho that I just found this blog 5 months ago and now you're going. T_T

Kalon, this post hit like a semi carrying a truck carrying small missiles (my favorite description of Ulduar bosses back in the day, among many memorable quotes you've written). Simply put, I wouldn't be half the bear I am today without having read your blog. Nor would the many bears I've advised in my guild and in game with knowledge I acquired here. Good luck, Godspeed and here's to hoping we read you again when the waters calm.

Your blog has been absolutely excellent. It helped my move from Resto-druid upto TBC then to feral druid in Wotlk. I totally understand how much kids do not fit all that easily into a raiding schedule being a mother of a 2 and 6 year old. The new puppy we just got doesnt help either !! Good luck with everything and when your ready I look forward to seeing you post again !!

Your blog has been the most helpful thing I've discovered since I started playing WoW. You will be missed (as will your gear lists)! Hopefully I can use what I've learned here to make good tanking decisions in the future, but I know many of us are keeping up hope that you'll come back someday.

Really sad to see you go. I had to make the same decision not too long ago too. Just wanted to say a big thank you for your AntiTank posts. That was the basis of my raid gearing/spec with the utility to put out competitive DPS AND MT Hodir if need be (if the DK solo tank goes down).[No, this was before T0C gear]. That also allowed me a Resto spec with dualspecs. So, yea. Big thanks for opening up my druidic experience. I can haz tank/heals/dps. Good luck with the baby. I know from experience that bubs aggro is awesome :) /salute :)

Now I will have to go read the actual forum threads instead of relying on an awesome aggregator/experimenter like you.

Ah well. You can raid with a child, but they generally need to know some of the game basics before they join you :)

Some unsolicited advice relevant to your new home raid.Baby gas medicine. Get some. Get more then one bottle. Keep it available. If someone says colic they are most likely wrong and it's gas. Baby Tylenol/Advil. Have it on hand.Fevers. Babies have them, don't panic. Get a notepad. Write down time and temperature. People cannot remember accurately ups and downs and when/what the last few measurements were. It can help prevent panic.Patience. Not with the kids (that's magical ya know) With people telling you horror stories to 'prepare' you. Stare at them until they stop and wander off.

Enjoy the change in your life. Have fun. Find your new balance. Hope to see you back to having fun, if not have fun in your future endeavors.

Farewell Kalon - looking forward to seeing a "Felhoof's Sack of Awesome" in the next content patch due to the great contribution you've given to all Feral Druid's.

Like everyone else I'm sad to see you go but you're doing it for all the right reasons. Your posts were always insightful and great reads. Its only now that it's hit me just how much I've come to rely on your gear weightings!

Just wanted to let you know how thankful I am for all that you've done. I remember giving up on bear tanking when wrath came out. I used to run ZA runs all the time in my small guild in BC and switched over to solely feral DPSing. Sometime after naxx I was bit once again by the tanking bug and believed at first it was hopeless. Thought bear tanking was dead. Then I remember stbling onto your pre naxx gear for cats list and how you posted about tanking and gear for bears. Since then, i've been a silent reader and admirer of your blogs. Tossks was to feral dps what you were to bears. I looked up to both of you and still do. Thank you for everything and best of luck w/ your family!-Eaeruleus, fellow feral durid 4LYFE

As a mom of a 2 year old - yes, I understand exactly where you are coming from. I promise, you DO get your life back, and WoW or whatever else you want to do will be waiting for you when you come out of the newborn fog.

I know it's hard to contemplate now, but in a year or less, your little munchkin will go to BED at night and SLEEP all night long. Yes, that's right, a BEDTIME. Around like 8pm. And you'll be trapped at home with nothing to do except... maybe... play video games!

Just wanted to say thanks for all of the great stories, theorycrafting and especially gear lists that you provided over the years. I will definitely miss reading your articles but good luck with the next step of your journey...

ThinkTank bio

About Me

Kalon likes playing tanks, no matter how hard he tries to fight it. He is not as hardcore as many but spends a lot of time thinking about WoW, and randomly rants about it now and then. He played formerly on the Argent Dawn (EU) server and was a founding member of Fire and Blood (Quel'Dorei) before joining Casually Serious, a guild devoted to hard core progression on only 8 hours of raiding time a week.
He is a devoted husband, father, and when he has the time programs software.